The LEGO Batman Movie – Everything is Still Awesome

Whether you grew up reading the comics, watching Adam West, The Animated Series, or loved Christopher Nolan’s rendition of the caped crusader, there’s something everyone can love about the LEGO Batman Movie. A spinoff of The LEGO Movie, released in 2014, shows a much lighter side of the lonely and ever abrasive “dark knight” but everything isn’t as awesome as we expect when the movie opens. With Barbara Gordon, voiced by Rosario Dawson, rising up to top cop, chaos ensues in LEGO Gotham even though almost all of Batman’s enemies are incarcerated in Arkham Asylum. What could the Joker be up to this time? But don’t worry, there is a happy ending with a semi-cheesy message of friendship.

As a fan of Batman, I enjoyed the references to the other Batman story arcs, even going back to Adam West. Not only that, there are a lot more nerdy things to pick up on, outside of comics. As a ’90s kid who grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series, I honestly expected the Joker to be voiced by Mark Hamill but he’s probably still in hiding, being The Last Jedi and all.